


dreams you would weave (try to capture every minute)

by OsleyaKomWonkru



Series: We Could Be Beautiful Without Our War Paint [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everything is Different, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Gen, Happy Ending, Lincoln Lives, Trigedasleng, mentions of cannibalism, shallow valley, the dark year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:48:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27914053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OsleyaKomWonkru/pseuds/OsleyaKomWonkru
Summary: Nine years after Wonkru made its home in Shallow Valley,JovakepaOctavia prepares to pass leadership on to her protégé Madi, who is poised to ascend as the first Commander in fifteen years.Coinciding with Madi’s ascension is the dedication of the Shrine of theNewana, Jovakepa’snew responsibility. But as Octavia and Lincoln prepare to tell their daughters the difficult story of theNewanaand theYiron kom Givnes,they are reminded of the simple joys of family that made those hard days worth it.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Echo, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Series: We Could Be Beautiful Without Our War Paint [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043994
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5
Collections: The t100 Writers for BLM Initiative





	dreams you would weave (try to capture every minute)

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the first part in a 3-part series of a Lincoln Lives canon-divergent 'verse, written for @munequita as a promptfill for the [The 100 Fic for Black Lives Matter Initiative](https://t100fic-for-blm.carrd.co).
> 
> The prompt here was for Lincoln and Octavia to have a bit of smut, as well as a rebellious or mischievous daughter who gets into trouble. Please read the tags for warnings!
> 
> Trigedasleng:
> 
> Jovakepa - Courage-Keeper  
> Yiron kom Givnes - Year of Sacrifice  
> Givnes kom Newana - Sacrifice of the Immortal Ones  
> Osleya - Champion  
> Heda - Commander  
> Onka - Uncle  
> Ani - Aunt

_“I have to do it like I did with the Conclave. It is only by risking my own life can I ask others to give theirs.”_

_“Octavia, don’t be ridiculous.”_

_“It worked on the Ark, you said so yourself.”_

_“I also told Thelonious that our survival depended on having a leader who can inspire people to self-sacrifice. If it doesn’t work, if they take you, who will the Grounders believe in? What will happen next?”_

_“We’re not Grounders and Skaikru anymore, Kane. You know that. You should have faith in all of our people.”_

_“Indra, you know as well as I do the knife’s edge we’re balancing on. If she goes out there and tells them the truth, and - Octavia! Where are you going?”_

_“I have to do it. I can’t ask of them what I’m not willing to give.”_

The clang of that imagined metal door woke Octavia from the dream. She took a long deep breath, opening her eyes, taking in her surroundings. The bunker was only a memory. She was now surrounded by light streaming through the windows, the forests of Shallow Valley visible beyond them in the morning sun.

The warm strong body next to her that shifted as she woke up.

“You were dreaming.” Lincoln murmured in her ear.

“Yeah. Just that day in the bunker. When it all started.”

“Because of all the memories this week is inspiring?”

“With the dedication ceremony?”

“Not just the dedication ceremony. But finally putting _Jovakepa_ to rest. Passing the torch. You’re sure you want to do it all in the same week?”

“I am. Madi’s ready, and with the dedication ceremony for the Shrine, it feels right to close that chapter of our lives.”

“I still have nightmares of that day too. I’d never been more afraid that I’d lose you, but you were so certain.” Lincoln gave her a slow and deep kiss. “You trusted in our people and they proved worthy of that trust.”

“And they continue to prove worthy of it.” Octavia murmured, pulling Lincoln on top of her. “Like we’ve always hoped. But enough of them for now.”

Lincoln grinned, kissing his way along Octavia’s neck, reaching down to push her nightgown up, and Octavia arched her back to let him push it higher, until she could reach to pull it the rest of the way off, leaving her bare to him.

“I love you.” Lincoln whispered, pressing kisses between her breasts, hands skimming down her sides as he worked his way down, over her stomach and finally to where she wanted him between her legs.

“I love you too.” Octavia breathed, ending on a moan as he ran his lips over her, tapping her clit lightly with his tongue as he slipped a finger into her.

“Shhh.” Lincoln whispered again, placing the index finger of his other hand over her lips. “Don’t want to wake them. This is the first morning in a week when it’s been just us in this bed.”

“You do make a good point.” Octavia purred, running her fingernails over his scalp, holding him to her. “Stop talking.”

Lincoln brought her to the edge quickly, after over a decade together, he knew what she liked and how to give it to her… and how to keep her wanting. Once she was there balancing on that edge, he slowed down, taking his time, keeping her hovering just a hair’s breadth from her release for minutes that felt like they stretched into hours until he finally let her drop over it, pulsing around him as he stroked her through it.

“You’re lucky I love you because you were playing with fire there.” Octavia sighed with a smirk on her face as he crawled back up to kiss her lips, before moving back to pull off his sleep pants. She pulled him back into range, running her hands over the planes of his chest as he shifted one of her knees up over his hip, rubbing the head of his cock along her folds before pressing inside.

“Maybe this will make it up to you?” Lincoln teased, moving into her with hard and deep strokes, until she took control, surging up to meet him and toppling him over onto his back at the foot of the bed.

Octavia moved on him with practiced ease, clenching her muscles around him as she rode him the way she knew _he_ liked, his hands gripping her waist to find just the perfect angles.

She slowed her pace too, when she knew they were getting close, just to draw out this sensual morning a bit longer, but she didn’t torture them for as long as Lincoln had, she _still_ didn’t have that kind of patience, and they came together with soft moans.

Octavia sprawled across Lincoln’s chest in the aftermath, the sun glinting off the sweat on their bodies. Lincoln reached for whatever cloth his hand could grab from that position, dabbing the sweat off of Octavia’s back as she snuggled into his chest.

“You can’t stay here too long.” Lincoln whispered into her ear. “Remember that meeting with Madi and Gaia.”

“Shhh, just let me enjoy this moment.”

They lingered for a few more minutes, until Octavia reluctantly extricated herself from Lincoln, crossing the floor to their bathtub, running a quick wet cloth over her body, brushing and braiding her hair and slipping into a more formal outfit - which these days was a harsh cry from the dark leathers and armour of life as a warrior, but instead a long dark linen dress with a belt that she was just tying in place as Lincoln came up behind her, his pants riding low on his hips as he pressed himself against her back, hands coming around her hips to rest low on her stomach.

“You want another one don’t you?” Octavia said, resting one of her hands over his.

“I definitely wouldn’t say no.”

“You’ll be the one changing diapers in the middle of the night.”

“Haven’t I already been that one?” Lincoln chuckled, kissing Octavia’s forehead.

They left their bedroom hand in hand, and Octavia eased open the door of the other bedroom quietly, peeking inside.

Their daughters were still asleep, each curled up in their own cot. Astraea, who was almost seven, was Octavia in miniature. Luna, age three, had her mother’s green eyes, but was otherwise the spitting image of her father, only with the curly windblown hair of her namesake.

_There should be three of them,_ Octavia thought, a familiar ache in her heart as her hand clutched the locket around her neck. An old hurt, one six years gone… Octavia couldn’t forget her first, even if the rest of the world demanded she moved on.

Well, not the whole world. Lincoln wouldn’t, he felt the same pain. But today was not the day to linger on that part of their past.

“What are your plans for the day?” Octavia whispered as she pulled the door shut again.

“Not sure yet. But they know this week is dedicated to the _Givnes kom Newana._ They know it is a week of solemnity, but especially with the dedication coming up, they’ll be wondering what it is really all about.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that conversation yet, Lincoln.”

“We might never be ready, but if we don’t tell them the story, they’ll hear it from someone else. It should be us. They should know from us how their mother earned the title of _Jovakepa._ Who the _Newana_ are and why we honour their _givnes.”_ Lincoln brushed a loose strand of hair behind Octavia’s ear. “You know I’m right.”

“I know. It’s just… how do you tell your children that the only reason you’re alive and that they exist is because their parents and their people ate human flesh for a year?”

“The same way our people tell the story. _Osleya,_ the leader of the last of the human race, was faced with a decision that had three choices: let her people die, lie to them and make people disappear in secret to become the meals of others, or to trust in the goodness of her people that they’d handle the truth and be ready to give everything for the good of their people.

“Her advisers recommended the second option, but her brave and reckless heart wouldn’t stand for it. And so she went out into her people, stripped bare of all weapons and armour, and knelt before them, telling them the truth and offering herself up as the first.

“Instead of attacking her, as her advisers feared, her people knelt as well, offering themselves in her stead, bestowing upon her the new title of _Jovakepa,_ Courage-Keeper, because while her flesh could have fed them for one day, they needed her strength and courage each day to survive during that hard year and through the challenges of the years after that, for they knew it wouldn’t be the last test of their people.”

“It’s not only about me, Lincoln. I’d rather it wasn’t about me at all. I’m still here. It should be about _them,_ not me.”

“Which is why there’s the dedication this week. That is for them. But our lives are yours.” Lincoln held her close and kissed her forehead. “Octavia, you are the one who kept our people united for the past fifteen years. No one else. Others kept us physically alive through their sacrifices, yes, but without your courage and trust and strength of will we wouldn’t have made it. That’s why they honour you. They’ll continue to do that, even as you pass day to day leadership over to Madi. Our people are flourishing here, and you’ve taught her well and we know she’ll keep that going, but you are the one who made it possible.”

“I didn’t do it alone. Without you, I… things could have been so different. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I’m here. You don’t need to worry about that. Now have some breakfast, go meet Madi and Gaia, and I’ll get the girls up. We’ll go gather berries in the woods, maybe take a stroll over to Bellamy’s. Then when you’re finished, we tell them the story of _Givnes kom Newana.”_

“It’s a heavy burden to put on ones so young.”

“The story of their mother’s courage and their people’s survival isn’t a burden. It is a gift. If you don’t believe me, ask Gaia, and she’ll tell you how they’ve been telling the story to the orphans she’s been helping raise. A fair number of their parents are among the _Newana,_ they know better than most the impact of the story.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Now go. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Octavia kissed Lincoln’s cheek and headed into the kitchen, cutting a slice of cornbread and drizzling some honey over it. She ate it quickly, grabbed a handful of nuts, and went to slip on her shoes when… they weren’t where she’d left them the previous night.

“Lincoln!” Octavia whispered. “Where are my shoes?”

He came out of the bedroom, pulling a shirt over his head, chuckling. “So she got you this time.”

“What?”

“It’s Astraea’s new thing. Past four mornings, we’ve had to play a game to find my shoes. She likes playing hot-warm-cold. I still haven’t figured out when she sneaks them away.”

“I don’t have time to play hot-warm-cold and the girls are still asleep. Any ideas?”

“Well, three out of four times, I’ve found at least one of my shoes in the root cellar. I don’t know why she likes hiding things down there. Possibly a tribute to the years her parents spent underground.”

“She did lock Luna down there that one day. Poor baby, she was terrified.”

“Well she’s never done that again. But shoes are fair game.”

Octavia went over to the door of the root cellar, flicking on the light, pulling the hatch open and stepping down the few steps.

Both of her shoes were balanced on a pile of potatoes.

“They’re here.” Octavia sighed, grabbing them and shoving her feet inside, closing the door behind her as she went back up. “See if Raven has a lock that we can put on this door.”

“Will do. Now go.” Lincoln kissed her again, and Octavia finally headed out the door.

Lincoln, Octavia and their girls lived on the edge of Vero, the central village of Shallow Valley, where the main market and community organizations were, though Wonkru still had about a dozen other outlying villages of different sizes spread across the valley. Since emerging from the bunker nine years ago thanks to the prisoners of pre-apocalyptic Earth that had arrived on the ground along with her brother, all their peace agreement in sharing the valley was contingent on was the good behaviour of the former criminals, the medical expertise of the bunker medical team, and Wonkru’s capture of the feral child in the woods of Shallow Valley who had been a thorn in the prisoners’ sides since their landing.

Octavia had been the one to find the girl. Madi, a Nightblood child who had experienced the deaths of everyone near and dear to her during Praimfaya, and survived alone in the valley for six years. After assuring her that she wasn’t a Flamekeeper, she’d earned the girl’s trust over the course of a few months. Her own similar upbringing, hiding away from those who would wish her ill, went a long way. 

Octavia had brought Madi into the village on the same day she learned she was pregnant with her first child. Gaia had taken it as a sign that a new Commander should rise so that Octavia could concentrate on motherhood, but Octavia refused to put such responsibilities on Madi until she was ready for them - if she wanted to take on that role at all.

Madi had lived with Octavia and Lincoln for a number of years, learning English, learning how to be around people again, learning to not be afraid. She helped Octavia with her little girls, while learning about the Flame and the history of their people, including their years in the bunker. When Madi was seventeen, and inspired by Octavia’s leadership as _Jovakepa,_ she told Octavia and Gaia that she would one day take the Flame when the time was right and lead their people.

She was now a young woman of twenty-one, and that time had come.

Madi and Gaia were already waiting for her by the gates of the shrine, the fence still hiding it from the view of the general public until it was time for the dedication.

“Good morning, _Jovakepa.”_ Madi said, bowing her head, as Gaia did likewise.

“No need to stand on ceremony, Madi, you know that.” Octavia said fondly, embracing her. “Let’s go inside.”

Octavia nodded to the guard and he pushed the gate open, and they entered the building site, the artists and builders working on the final touches, ensuring that everything would be ready for the dedication ceremony.

_“Jovakepa!”_ One of them called out. “Please, ensure we have the names correct here.”

Gaia and Madi trailed after her as she went up to the monolith the carver was standing next to, and she read down the list of names carved into each side of it. Her fingers trailed over the name _Marcus Kane_ for a moment before she straightened up and turned back to the carver.

“Yes, everything is correct. Jaha’s solved the problems of the Shrine’s roof, right?”

“Of course I have, Octavia.” Jaha said, coming down a ladder not far off. “Don’t worry. Everything will be ready for the dedication ceremony.” He took a look at the monolith Octavia was standing next to, his eyes drifting over Kane’s name. “Marcus would be proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

“I hope that’s true.”

“I know he would be proud of you.” Jaha said, resting a hand on Octavia’s shoulder. “You’ve done well by our people. You have some big shoes to fill, Madi.”

“She’ll be able to do it, Thelonious.” Gaia said. “She’s ready.”

“She is.” Octavia said, smiling at Madi. “But don’t ever feel like you have to do anything alone. You don’t. We are always here for you. You ever need anything, you ever want to talk over a decision that needs to be made, day or night, you can come talk to me, okay?”

“I know.” Madi said. “Plus we’ve been at peace for nine years. I don’t think I’ll have to make the decisions you did. I hope I won’t.” Madi looked at the monoliths all around them. “I don’t know if I could be as strong as you were, _Jovakepa.”_

“Let’s hope we never need to find out.” Octavia reassured her. “The valley is growing every day. The world will be green again, but the size of humanity is still small. There should be plenty for generations to come.”

“Abby told me yesterday that a Nightblood child was born to a couple from one of the outer villages yesterday.” Jaha said. “That’s three this year.”

“As with the others, when they reach the age of twelve, they can come learn with me.” Gaia said. “If they choose to. But no more Conclaves. The next Commanders will be chosen in a different way. We’ll come up with a way, won’t we, Madi?”

Madi nodded. “When I’m ready to step down, we’ll find a fair and peaceful way to choose the next. But there’s one thing I’m not ready for.”

“What’s that?” Octavia asked.

“All of this.” Madi indicated the memorial site. “Even after I become _Heda,_ I don’t think I can lead any remembrance ceremonies here. This was not my life. It would feel dishonest. Anyone who is _Heda_ later, they would have a right to stand here, as children of those who experienced the _Yiron kom Givnes,_ but I don’t.”

“She’s right, _Jovakepa.”_ Gaia said. “You may be stepping down as our leader, but honouring our people is still your sacred task.”

“Lincoln said the same thing this morning.” Octavia looked around at all of the monoliths. “He wants us to tell our daughters about the _Yiron kom Givnes_ tonight. What the _Givnes kom Newana_ truly means. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“It’s a story I’ve told many times at the orphanage.”

“Lincoln also said you might say that.”

“Because it’s true. There are those in the orphanage, teenagers now, but they were young children when the _Yiron kom Givnes_ happened. Many of them are orphans because their parents are a part of the _Newana.”_

“How do you tell them that? How do you tell them that their parents are dead because of the rest of their people?”

“Well I don’t phrase it like that, first of all. How you tell the story matters. For that, I have this.” Gaia reached into the bag she was carrying and pulled out a leatherbound book, with the title _The Book of Jovakepa_ engraved on it. She handed it to Octavia.

“What is this?” Octavia opened it to the first page, reading the first lines to herself. _“These are the living deeds and words of Jovakepa of Wonkru, the wisdom that she taught us, and which Gaia Fleimkepa wrote down.”_

“This is our story.” Gaia said. “To preserve it for the ages. It was born from the many times I’ve told our story to the children in the orphanage. Madi suggested that I write it down for you and for all of our people, so that we have a pathway on how to discuss our history with the future generations. This is the first one off the press. It should be yours.”

Octavia looked up at Jaha, at a loss for words.

“It is a good idea, Octavia. You know that years ago Marcus and I started writing a chronicle of the Ark. I put it aside after his death, but Gaia’s project here has inspired me to pick it up again. Pike and Abby are helping me now.”

“Quite a few of our people are writing or have written the histories of their clans.” Gaia said. “This shrine is a tangible representation of our story, but the writings are important to give meaning to this place. All of the stories will help you decide what formal methods of remembrance you want to put into place here.”

“I want my first act as _Heda_ to be the re-investiture of _Jovakepa._ Not as the civic leader of Wonkru, but its spiritual leader. A formal position within our community.” Madi said nervously. “I hope you will accept that. I know you keep remembrance privately, but the people need you publicly in a way that I cannot provide. Like I said, this was not my life.”

“I’ll train the novitiates and maintain the shrine’s day-to-day affairs, but official ceremony… that is not something they need from me.” Gaia said. “Our people will be looking to you for this.”

Octavia pondered the idea, recognizing why Madi and Gaia were so insistent. As _Jovakepa,_ she had kept Wonkru strong, the physical embodiment of Wonkru’s courage to do what was necessary to survive. The _Newana_ had placed their faith in her to do what was needed to bring their people back to the ground, to fulfill the responsibility they had been charged with as the survivors of Praimfaya.

They had made it back to the ground. Their first years in the valley had been consumed with rebuilding homes, procuring food, ensuring that promised future. While people still remembered the _Newana,_ their sacrifice was no longer top of mind for most.

But it was for Octavia. For years in the bunker, she’d feared that the deaths of three hundred and forty-nine of her people by her own hand were in vain. That they wouldn’t make it back to the ground. She’d never shared those fears publicly, of course, in public she could only be fearless and confident, no matter how much her worries ate her up inside.

Making a home in the valley, for her, meant paying proper tribute to those who had made that dream possible. So once all of the most important questions of survival were answered, she and Gaia had worked together on a plan for a more permanent site of remembrance.

The site they now stood in, that was almost complete, and in a few days, would be open to the public.

It had been her idea. It was her responsibility.

“I’ll do it.” Octavia finally said. “I chose this on that first day of the _Yiron kom Givnes._ I chose to bear the cost of our survival. The memory of that cost remains mine. It is what I promised them.”

“Good.” Madi said, relief in her voice evident. “That’s settled then.”

“Let’s see how the rest of the shrine is coming along.” Gaia said. “Thelonious, could take us through, please?”

“Of course.”

* * *

Once Jaha had taken the three of them through the shrine, showing them some of the last-minute adjustments, Octavia made her way home for lunch.

The house was empty when she arrived, a note from Lincoln on the kitchen table saying that they would be at Bellamy’s, and if she could _please bring the extra fresh-squeezed berry juice that was in the fridge because he didn’t have enough hands to do so?_

She made her way over to the fridge, eyes still on the note in her hand as her other hand closed around… nothing.

Octavia blinked and looked at the fridge in front of her, and saw that its handle was missing, just an empty metal square where the handle would slide in.

She looked back down at the note, to see if Lincoln said anything further, about how to open the fridge without the mechanism to do so, and there was nothing, which suggested that he didn’t know it was missing.

“Astraea.” Octavia sighed, and put the note down to take a close look at the rest of the room, to see if she could find where her mischievous daughter had stashed this item.

It couldn’t be the root cellar, she saw a fresh shiny lock on it and surmised that Lincoln had stopped by Raven’s workshop on their way to or from the forest to pick the berries.

Octavia checked all of the spare shoes sitting by the front door, overturned the couch cushions, rifled through the drawers in both the kitchen and the bedrooms.

Nothing.

She looked under the pillows on all of the beds, at the back of the girls’ clothes closet, through their toyboxes.

Still nothing.

Finally, _finally,_ Octavia spotted the errant fridge handle, masquerading as a part of the bathtub fixtures. She returned it to its rightful place on the fridge, retrieving the covered pitchers of juice and made her way through the forest to her brother’s house.

Everyone was gathered on picnic blankets in the yard, and Bellamy waved her over.

“Thank you for these.” He said, taking the pitchers out of her hands and setting them on a side table. “What took you so long?”

“I had a bit of trouble getting into the fridge.” Octavia said, giving Astraea a very pointed look. 

Astraea hid a giggle behind her hand, while Lincoln - completely missing this due to Luna clambering onto his back, looking for a piggyback ride - turned to Octavia with a look of concern.

“Do we need Raven to take at it? She’s pretty busy this week.”

“We don’t need Raven. We just need _someone_ not to hide the handle.”

Astraea giggled again, and Lincoln finally caught on.

“Upgraded from hiding shoes?” He asked her, eyebrows raised in mock outrage.

“It’s funny, Daddy!”

Octavia sat down on the blanket next to them. “Maybe sometimes it can be funny. But Mommy has a lot of important work she needs to do this week. I can’t be late.”

“Why not? It’s just a big building being built.” Astraea couldn’t stop giggling. “Big building being built. Big building being built. Say that fast!”

“Astraea.” Octavia turned on her serious voice, which she hated using with her children, but sometimes it was necessary. “It is more than a building. It is a very important place for our people.”

“But why is it so important?”

“Daddy and I will tell you and Luna all about it tonight. It is a very important story, the story of why we are here.”

“Why we’re here having lunch with _Onka_ Bellamy and _Ani_ Echo?”

“No. Why we live here, in this valley. And how we came to be here. It’s a long story, with many trials.”

“Like Hercules?”

“Kind of, I guess you could say.”

Astraea pouted. “Okay. I won’t hide anything else, I promise.”

“Good. Thank you.” Octavia kissed the top of Astraea’s head. “What’s for lunch? I have some disputes to settle this afternoon so I can’t stay too long.”

“Chicken and potato salad.” Echo said, passing over a plate. “But at least after this week you won’t be running around so much and can take some time to breathe.”

“Some, perhaps.” Octavia acknowledged. “But I still have my responsibilities to our people at the Shrine.”

“I thought Madi was taking over?” Bellamy asked.

“Leading Wonkru, yes. But the remembrance of the _Newana_ has always been my responsibility.”

“Even now?”

“Especially now. You weren’t there, big brother. You didn’t live through the _Yiron kom Givnes._ Neither did Madi. I will still be _Jovakepa._ But in a spiritual role rather than a civil one.”

“Daddy, why do they call Mommy _Jovakepa?”_ Astraea asked.

“That’s for later, little one.” Lincoln said.

“Did she fight monsters like Theseus? Or go on an epic journey like Odysseus?”

“Not quite that dramatic.” Octavia said. “But we will talk about it later, okay?”

“Okay.”

* * *

Octavia’s final rulings as _Jovakepa_ , as Wonkru’s civil leader, took longer than she’d anticipated. Night had already fallen by the time she left the town hall to head home.

The lights were still on in the house as she approached, even though it was past Luna and Astraea’s bedtimes. Even though she would have been happy to put off discussing the _Yiron kom Givnes_ for another night, they had promised to talk about it tonight.

At least, that had been the plan before Octavia opened the front door to a scene of unbridled chaos.

The first thing that Octavia saw was her daughters, covered in paint of every colour, sitting in the middle of the floor.

The second was the paintings all over the floor around them.

The third - as she began to wonder where on Earth their father was in all of this mess - was Lincoln passed out on the couch, his face covered in more artwork, though from the look of it this art had been done with her ceremonial makeup rather than the jars of paint.

Octavia didn’t even know where to begin.

Astraea looked up guiltily. “Oops, Mommy’s home.”

Luna jumped to her feet and tried to stand in front of the paintings. “Can’t see yet! Not done!”

Luna’s shout roused Lincoln, who started awake, rubbing his hand over his face, confused as he opened his eyes and found his hand covered in black eyeshadow and golden eyeliner.

“Lincoln?” Octavia asked, keeping her voice very even. “Can you explain what has happened here?”

“The girls wanted to paint…” He trailed off as he took stock of the blank sheets of paper on the kitchen table, eyes roaming across the room until he found the girls sitting in their circle of chaos. “Astraea? Luna?”

“It’s Mommy and Daddy’s adventures.” Luna said insistently. “Look.”

“That’s Mommy fighting the monsters while Daddy sneaks into the cave to get its treasure.” Astraea pointed. “And there’s Mommy and Daddy closing the cave door to protect their people from the fire.”

“There is Mommy being the Light.” Luna said. “Bringing people out of the darkness.”

“Daddy helping _Ani_ Madi with her nightmares.”

“Mommy seeing _Onka_ Bellamy again.”

Octavia’s anger at the mess began to dissipate, as her daughters narrated the story of the paintings. Lincoln came over to stand with her, pulling her close.

Astraea and Luna stopped their explanations, both of their expressions now confused, though Astraea’s still bore some elements of worry and guilt about the mess that Luna’s didn’t.

“What about that one?” Octavia asked softly, pointing to the painting right next to Astraea, which she’d been working on when Octavia had come in.

“That’s all of us. Everybody together. No more monsters. No more darkness. The happily ever after in every story.”

Octavia’s lip trembled, and she buried her face in Lincoln’s chest so that her daughters wouldn’t see the tears threatening to fall.

But they were more perceptive than she gave them credit for.

“What’s wrong Mommy?” Luna asked.

“I’m sorry we shouldn’t have painted on the floor.” Astraea said quickly, beginning to panic. “I’m sorry. Don’t cry Mommy.”

“No, no.” Octavia said, wiping away her tears and stepping right into the middle of the circle, hugging both of her girls, not caring about how much paint she got on her dress as she clutched them to her chest. “Don’t be sorry. They’re happy tears. I love you both so much and sometimes my work as _Jovakepa_ is so serious that I forget how to have fun. I forget what all of that hard work was for.”

“What was it for?” Astraea asked. “And what was the _Givnes kom Newana_ and what was it for?”

“We’ll talk about _what_ it was tomorrow.” Octavia said, kissing the tops of their heads. “That can wait. Today I just want to concentrate on what it was for. And that’s this.”

“This?” Astraea was confused. “Daddy? What does she mean?”

Lincoln stepped into the circle too, sitting down on the ground and wrapping his arms around all three of them. “She means this.”

“This life.” Octavia murmured. “Family. Being together. The ground beneath our feet. The sky above our heads. The forest all around us. All of the blessings we have in our lives now.”

“Reasons you brought people out of the darkness.” Luna piped up.

“Exactly that, little one. Exactly that.”

The story of the _Yiron kom Givnes_ could wait. This evening needed remembrance of a different kind - remembering what the _Yiron kom Givnes_ and the other hard years had all been for: the promise of a new life on the ground.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "Cassandra" and "Slipping Through My Fingers" by ABBA.


End file.
